Help!!! Passport validity in France query...

[lethologica]

We're going to France, Luxembourg and Brussels early Friday Morning and we've just discovered that my boyfriends passport runs out in February...

Apparently this is okay for France as you just have to return before the passport expires, but does anyone know about Luxembourg and Brussels!?

Thanks in advance!!!

[dzug]

If you are going to France first it won't matter as there will be no border checks going into Belgium and Luxembourg.

However one site I've looked at says 3 months validity is needed for France and six for Belgium and Luxembourg. How reliable that is I don't know* - nor whether they are actually likely to notice the date anyway. (*It has wrong info for at least one other country)

If the passport is renewed now the unexpired validity will be tacked on to the new one so you won't have lost anything. (better to have done it last month before the fees went up......)

[dzug]

Oops thought you were going in February - you've no time to do anything now anyway.

[dzug]

Having had another think - no French Belgian or Luxembourg official is going to see your passport at all in the normal course of events - it's checked by ferry company staff at check in, possibly by security staff if your car is one of the random n% checked and that's it.

Maybe different if you are flying.

So the chances are (but no guarantee) that even if the Belgians want 6 months no one is going to be bothered if it isn't.

[DirtyHabit]

I would have thought that if you have proof of return journey before that date, it should not matter.

[Gef]

I know this doesn't help but two years ago a friend of my flew to Italy (and back) for a skiing holiday. When she got back she noticed that the passport had expired but nobody else did.

[lethologica]

For the future reference of other people, he called the French Embassy in London who told him that it's okay as we're an EU member, and he also contacted passport control in Dover (re: Luxembourg and Brussels) who told him not to worry and that it happens all the time!!!